Official Blog of Author MICHAEL THOMAS BARRY.
A blog which discusses varied topics related to my many books. He is a columnist for Crime Magazine.com where he pens "This Week in Crime History."
Michael is a graduate of Cal State Fullerton and is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, The Crime Writers Association, The Authors Guild, and American Society of Journalist and Authors. Questions or comments to Mikeb63@aol.com

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Terrorists Hijack the Crusieship Achille Lauro - 1985

On this date in 1985, Palestinian terrorists hijack the Italian
cruise ship Achille Lauro shortly after it left Alexandria, Egypt.

The well-armed men, who belonged to the Popular Front for
the Palestine Liberation Front (PLF), the terrorist wing of the Palestinian
Liberation Organization (PLO) led by Abu Abbas, easily took control of the
vessel since there was no security force on board. Abbas had been responsible
for many attacks on Israel and its citizens in the early 1980s. On multiple
occasions, he sent men on hang gliders and in hot air balloons on bombing
missions to Israel, all of which turned out to be miserable failures. In an
attempt to salvage his reputation, Abbas ordered the hijacking of the Achille
Lauro. Yet there were no specific goals or demands set forth in the
mission.

At first, the terrorists demanded that Israel release
imprisoned PLF members and sought entry to a Syrian port. But when Syria denied
the request, the terrorists lost control of the situation. Gathering the
American tourists on board, the terrorists randomly chose to kill 69-year-old
Leon Klinghoffer. The wheelchair-bound American was shot in the head and thrown
overboard. Klinghoffer's cold-blooded murder backfired on the terrorists. The
world's outrage forced PLO chief Yassir Arafat to cut PLO ties with the
terrorists and to demand that Abbas end the situation. On October 9, Abbas
contacted the terrorists, ordered them not to kill any more passengers, and
arranged for the ship to land in Egypt.

Meanwhile, the elite U.S. Navy SEALs were dispatched to
raid the Achille Lauro. But by the time they arrived, the terrorists had
already gotten off the ship in Egypt and boarded a plane to Libya. The United
States then sent out two F-14 fighter jets, which intercepted the plane and
forced it to land in Italy. A three-way standoff between the PFLP terrorists,
the Americans, and the Italian Army on the runway in Sicily ended with the
Italians taking Abbas and the other terrorists into custody. Despite intense
American pressure, the Italians allowed Abbas to leave the country, and then
prosecute the four who were on board. All were convicted, but only one received
a sentence of 30 years; the others got off with lighter prison terms. Italy
tried and convicted Abbas in absentia, but did not seek extradition until 2003.
He was captured by U.S. Special Forces in Baghdad that year and died in
American custody in 2004.